other moons are called like phobos or deimos and ours is just "the moon"
2007-01-28 20:37:47 · 13 answers · asked by domicorb3000 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The romans called it Luna. The greeks called it Selene. In fact the latter is the reason why the study of the surface of the moon is called selenography (compared to geography for earth). The former is why an apoapsis for the moon is the apislune, and the periapsis for the moon is the perislune (compare to apogee and perigee for Earth).
Moon is the English "name" for our satellite. Until Galileo looked at other planets in his telescope, no one really ever thought the other planets had their own satellites like our moon. Everyone believed everything revolved around the Earth. As it became accepted that this wasn't the case, people referred to the satellites that orbited the other planets in the same way we refer to our own- as "moons". Over time the word moon ended up simply being a generic term for a satellite of a planet.
2007-01-28 20:45:25 · answer #1 · answered by Arkalius 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"Moon" is just it's English given name. "Luna" is Latin for "moon". We call it 'the Moon', but technically it's just 'Moon'. "Moon" is just a name, just like Phobos or Deimos etc.
2007-01-29 00:18:33 · answer #2 · answered by Timbo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ours is the most important, it should be called "the moon". Get yourself a telescope and check it out. You`ll see why its "the moon". Besides it`s use in tidal pull and stabilising the earths axis, it makes our night sky a natural wonder.
2007-01-28 20:45:52 · answer #3 · answered by fisherking 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has a name, luna we refer to it as the moon because it is the one that is most visible to us
2007-01-28 20:42:48 · answer #4 · answered by road_dawg_style 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is the only moon we've landed on. It's our moon, the Moon. But its really name is Luna.
2007-01-28 20:41:17 · answer #5 · answered by vicky b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard somewhere it was actually called Luna.. but we just refer it as "the moon" since we only have one.
2007-01-28 20:40:41 · answer #6 · answered by Rae-Rae Nikkoles <3 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Its name in English, like that of Earth, is of Germanic and Old English derivation.
2007-01-28 21:04:09 · answer #7 · answered by PartyTime 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is the only one we have. We would have to be more specific if we had more than one. Ours is called Luna
2007-01-28 20:42:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our moon does have a name.Its called LUNA (think "lunar" eclipse)
I guess we call it just "the moon" 'cause its just one.
2007-01-28 22:45:54 · answer #9 · answered by Vasudha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It also has a name - Luna
2007-01-28 20:40:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋